The Labor enquirer., 1887-09-03
persistence that our demands fol

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stepping-stones, will never be
given up until they are obtained;
and that beyond these is the far
greater question of the final eman-
cipation of the people. In the
coming winter we shall again have
the opportunity for showing to the
world that our agitation has direct,
practical objects in view by the
pressure which we shall bring to
bear continuously upon the munic-
ipal councils and local bodies, not
only in London and in our great
industrial centres but event in some
of our country towns. Prepara-
tions for that sort of work should
be begun at once. Let us never
forget that each successive winter
brings starvation and misery to
hundreds of thousands of our fell
lowmen; that the sufferings of
women and children are increased
tenfold as the hard weather comes
on and work gets short; and that
ours is the only organization, abb
solutely the only organization, IN
Great Britain which makes the
slightest attempt to advocate the
cause of the workers in such man
ner as to really benefit them.
Every step which we take in
this direction should also pave the
way for contesting seats in the
al-Democratic interest on all
the municipal councils, vestrles
and school boards, as well as at
parliamentary elections. Thus we
can carry on our threatening So
cial agitation and organize for mu-
nicipal and political action at one
and the same time. Every branch,
no matter how small its numbers,
may act as nucleus around which
the seething discomfort of the
people can gather, and thus help
with associated branches in the
neighborhood to netralize the eff
forts of the paid political wire
pullers and to scare the SNUG plu-
tocrats out of their well-fed apa-
thy.
These, as we'll as other active
and practical measures which are
being suggested in view Of the
coming autumn and winter cam
paign, would however be of little
value were it not for. the high
ideal which we hold up perpetual
" before ourselves and our SYM
pathizers. So steadily do we look
to our great end, so earnest
ly do we strive for the glo-
rious object of the full and final
emancipation of the workers from
the yoke of landlords and capital
lists that we cannot turn aside, even
for a moment, to notice other
matters. Enough that in spite of
mean and malignant calumnies we
are moving rapidly on towards
our goal.
Within eighteen months from
to-day will be celebrated the CEN
tenary of the great revolution OF
1880. Already the idea that in
that year Social-Democrats and
Socialists generally ought to be
prepared to take united interna-
tional action in the interest of the
disinherited classes is firing the
imagination of the workers of the
civilized world. In this glorious
endeavor to realize the dreams of
the great men of the past, now
that the historical evolution has
rendered their realization practi-
cable, let US the Social Democrats
of Great Britain take our full
share. 1t is indeed a splendid
post which is open to us in the
vanguard of the army of progress
side by side with our brethren in
other lands. While self-seeking
statesmen foster commercial an
tagonism and national hatreds let
our mission be to help band to-
gether the workers of the world
for the great class struggle against